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"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His Law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1-2 ESV)
It is easy to imagine a child's delight in receiving a gift and perhaps, depending on the child's age, an equal delight in the wrapping paper and the box. We delight in the company of friends and family. We know what it is to experience breathless delight at the beauty of God's creation in a bright rainbow or a spectacular sunset. We who are blessed, we who enjoy God's favor, also join the psalmist in finding delight "in the Law of the LORD."
The person who is blessed by God delights in the Law of God, in following His Commandments and in all that God has to say to His people. The psalmist certainly knows that kind of delight. In Psalm 119 he describes God's Law—His commands and His words and ways—as a source of peace and hope. God's Word is as sweet as honey to him and serves as a lamp to his feet and a light to his path. Overcome with joy in the Word of God, the psalmist exclaims, "Oh how I love Your Law!" (Psalm 119:97a ESV).
Do we delight in the Word of God? Perhaps less so when the bright and holy mirror of God's Law reveals our sins to us. But the Holy Spirit, at work in the Word of the Law, calls us to repentance, and we receive forgiveness through the sweet-as-honey Word of the Gospel. We delight in studying the Scriptures to learn about our Savior Jesus. In humble obedience to His Heavenly Father, Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. The psalmist who delighted in the Word foretold the obedience and sacrificial life of Christ, the Word made flesh. The promised Messiah would follow His Father's will all the way to the cross: "Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of Me: 'I delight to do Your will, O My God" (Psalm 40:7b-8a ESV).
According to the instructions of the Lord, we must not walk, stand, or sit in the ways of wickedness. Instead, we are to talk about God's Word and learn from it when we sit or walk, before we sleep and when we get up. We are to take His Word to heart, to live in it, as Jesus tells us, "If you abide in My Word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31b-32). Day and night we abide in the Word. We delight in it, just as we delight in the Savior who is revealed in those sacred pages!
We Pray: Lord, lead me daily to delight in You and in Your holy Word. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on May 6, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. What is it about God's Law that draws us to it and makes us want to obey it?
2. How did Jesus delight in doing the Father's will?
3. What does abiding in Jesus' Word mean? How can that make us free?
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